RUGBY FOOTBALL.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 227, 25 September 1928, Page 13

RUGBY FOOTBALL.

N.S.W. TEAM'S TOUR. VISITORS' HIGH STANDARD. TEST HONOURS PRACTICALLY EVEN. One of the brightest interludes of a very busy Rugby season in New Zealand has been provided by the visit of the New South Wales team. Although defeated in two of the three Test matches, the verdict went against the visitors by very narrow margins, and in five games against the provinces they lost but one. They conclude their tour at Wellington on Saturday with a match against a Maori team. Undoubtedly the visitors have demonstrated that in their own characteristic style of play, the bright, open game, the N.S.W. players have reached a standard which holds its own with any Rugby in the world, and has a greater appeal to the spectator than that of the N.Z. and South African styles. Circumstances have enabled this tour to give us a better conception than usual of the relative standard of the N.S.W. and N.Z. games. With the elect of N.Z. away in South Africa, and but three of the 1927 Waratahs in the N.S.W. visiting team to balance the Cooke and Porter hang-over from the 1924 All Black side, the stage was cleared for a real look at .the general standard of the two countries—and in three Test matches the points have been: N.Z., 39; N.S.W., 37. The advantage of the N.Z. playere in piaying before a home crowd was discounted to some extent by the advantage possessed by the touring side of opportunities for improving their combination. So that taken by and large the result places the two countries on practically a dead level of excellence in the general average of play. As in 1921, the N.S.W. tourists not only demonstrated the effectiveness of their game, but also captured the public by their bright and snappy style. In Auckland for their first game they put on the field the fittest fifteen seen here this season, and keenness was the keynote of their play. A deal has been said about their ill-luck in the games which were lost. It has to be remembered that in the open etyle of play favoured by N.S.W. a young team's ill-luck is often more apparent than real. That type of game, in which players anticipate a movement by fanning out, contains greater elements of tendency to interference with anticipatory defence by accidental or impulsive obstruction and offside play than appears in the orthodox style. Keenness frequently led the 1928 N.S.W. visitors into mistakes of this kind which more experienced players might have avoided. Yet, when all has been eaid, there is no gainsaying that the N.S.W. team equalled the New Zealanders in effectiveness, and excelled them in spectacular play, while the spirit of their game throughout was above reproach. Their record of five wins and four loeses is much better than appears on the surface, for two of their losses were in Test matches, and in none of the games in which they were defeated were they more than five points behind. The results of the tour were:— V. Auckland, won 19 to 8. V. Wanganui, won 20 to 16. V. Hawke's Bay, won 19 to 6. V. New Zealand, lost 12 to 15. V. New Zealand, lost 14 to IC. V. Southland, lost 26 to 31. V. New Zealand, won 11 to 8. V. Marlborough, won 27 to IS. V. Maoris, lost 8 to 9. COLOURS LOWERED. AUCKLAND DOWN TO TARANAKL LOCALS' DAY OFF. The weather was certainly atrocious, and the season son long drawn out, yet even under these conditions the attendance at Eden Park was much poorer than the importance of the game warranted. Perhaps the facility for hearing the whole contest over radio kept many of the usual enthusiasts away, and resulted in the smallest gathering of spectators that has witnessed an interprovincial fixture for many years. Considering the slippery state of ground and ball, the exhibition was an interesting one, though it was naturally disappointing to Aucklanders, previously advised that the strongest fifteen of the season was taking the field. This may have been so on paper, but the strength, in terms of combined play, failed to materialise, and the blue and whites went down to a more determined and more enterprising side, who won decisively, though by a margin of only three points. On a fine day play would certainly have shown much more sparkle, but it is very doubtful if the result would have been different. The Taranaki backs displayed more cohesion and better judgment than did their opponents, and with a dry ball they must have been capable of many bright pieces of work. The visiting forwards, too, were the equals of the local pack on a precarious foothold, and indicated that they would have performed as creditably under better weather conditions. Among them Ike was always prominent, and his penalty kick which drew first blood, was a fine one. Robinson, Wills, Kivel, and Walter were always in the thick of the fray. It was among the backs, however, that Taranaki showed superiority. Collins was thoroughly dependable as a last line of defence. Watson showed himself a winger with both pace and determination, and Brown completely overshadowed Hook on the day's play. Though they did not get so much of the ball as the Aucklanders did, the five-eighths handled and transferred much more cleanly, and there was no mistake, as a rule, about their defence. Only twice did the oval gb along the length of the blue and white passing machine, and on both occasions not a man could find an opening. For Auckland Butler was called on to do an unusual amount of work, and he did it well, though one slip of his contributed to the visitors' victory. Stoupe, on the left wingf found few movements coming his way. Hook was decidedly off his game, and though he looked dangerous at times, with one or two of his characteristic wriggles, he gave his wings few chances—perhaps because whatver came his way came so badly. Minns was well starved, and had to make the most of the play for him-

self. This he did in a way that kept him more in the picture than any others «f the rearguard. Berridge showed some glimpses of his old form, but was patchy. Jenkin was the weakest link in the chain, and the 'Varsity five-eighth gave quite his poorest exhibition of the season, both in handling and in judgment. Even McManua was not the wet weather half that Aucklanders have known him so often to be. Aβ a rover Linton held his own, but the pack as a whole was disappointing. Knight was outstanding, in more ways than one, and Wanoa showed no signs of staleness, but the others did. The pace and anticipation of Anderson would have made considerable difference to the Auckland van, which certainly did not live up to its reputation. THAMES NOT DEFEATED. CONFUSED WITH THAMES VALLEY. In a report from Hamilton on Saturday, a correspondent to the "Star's" Sports Edition stated that Waikato defeated Thames by 30 points to nit. This was an error, as the defeated eide was Thames Valley. The Thames team on the same day was playing Morrinsville for the Peace Cup at Thames, the result of the game being a draw —3 points each. THAMES REPRESENTATIVES. THAMES, Monday. The following team will represent Thames against Coromandel on Saturday for the Birch Cup:—Full-back, A. Winder; threequarters, L. White, B. Harrison, P. Moran ; five-eighths, T. Duf ty, C. Cameron; half, W. Savage; rover, W. Pollock; forwards, G. Pollock, J. Strange, M. Hayward, T. Abraham, W. Percy, R. Smith, A. Lomas, Reserves: Backs, H. Bax, W. Lomas; forwards, E. Kelly, Kinloch. The Thames junior representatives to defend the Johnson Cup against Waihi are:— Full-back, R. Buchan; three-quarters, R. Dovell. L. Adams, G. Wenzlick ; five-eighths, S. Inglis, R. Hill; half, R. Vedder; rover, E. W. Skelly (captain) ; forwards, C. Letford, L. Darwall, A. Smith, J. Edwards, K. Strange, G. Lambert, R. Darrah. Iteserves: C. Skelley, A. Cameron, McGregor, C. Darrah.